I have recently started a new hobby - Fossil hunting.
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Undercliff walk - Brighton |
It all started a couple of weeks ago, when Britain finally saw itself bathed
in hot weather after several years covered in rain and cold winds.
Finally able to wear shorts and t-shirts and flip-flops, I decided to walk
by the seafront, towards the Brighton Marina, as it is less crowded than the opposite
direction. I have been waking up very early lately, and I realised that a good
walk by the sun could be the best start for a summer day. I also hoped it would
warm myself up enough to brave the cold water and bathe in the sea, which I
haven't risked doing for more than 5 years and I miss so much.
Once I got to the Marina, I decided to keep walking by the undercliff walk
that goes until Saldean (around 4.5km). After I passed the marina, having
walked another 500m, I saw on bit of beach that had been stripped from the
pebbles after the previous high tide. Of course, this was my chosen spot for a
little bit of sunbathe and a possible swim trial. However, just before I headed
to my little private beach, I saw a curious object coming off a piece of chalk
that fell from the cliff. It was almost as white as the chalk itself, but not
quite so, and its shape was so round that I initially though that it could be
an egg.
I picked up the piece of chalk with the funny object in it and went to
the beach to wash and clear the object from the soil, using a broken shell as
tool to carve my treasure off. After the object was cleaned, it looked like some sort of broken-smashed-deformed
shell. Egg shell? No idea.
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curious object - Echinoid fossil |
I started a research all around the internet see what it could be. I knew
the cliffs by the marina go back 85 million years but there was no previous
record of eggs.
I did not free the object completely from the chalk as I didn't want to
break it into pieces.
The next day, I headed to the same spot. Unfortunately, my lovely sandy
beach was covered in pebbles this time. Nevertheless, my curiosity was pointing
to the cliffs. After spending sometime "scavenging" rocks, this time
with the help of a few household tooIs, I found a few other curious objects -
among them, another funny egg thing. This time, however, using a magnifying
glass, it was possible for me to see patterns on the shell.
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echinoid fossil |
Back home, using dentist tools and vinegar, as suggested by some other
hunters, I could give a better cleaning to the object and after some more research,
I finally solved the mystery of the funny egg - it was an
echinocorys Leske
from the Upper Cretaceous.
Although they are extremely common around the South East coast, I was so
impressed with my finding that I decided to go further - further west and
further hunting - to the famous Friars' Bay, in
Peacehaven, just 20 minutes by
bus from Brighton.
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Friars' Bay |
This happened a week after the last hunt and as a novice on
the field, I forgot to check the tide table for the area. As a result, I ended
up arriving on the high tide, making it impossible to approach the beach and
the cliffs unless if I decided to dive, which was not an option. Pity...the place is
gorgeous.
I decided, then, to walk by the cliffs - the have their undercliff walk as
well, but very scary and with a huge wall struggling to hold the chalk monster.
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undercliff walk - Peacehaven |
Almost getting to the end of the pathway, I noticed a single little pebble
beach - th only part not completely covered by the sea, maximum 6 square metres
in size.
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pebble beach |
I went there and set for 20 minutes. These are the pebbles I found around
me.
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unrecognised fossils |
Unfortunately, the weather has changed again. Now, I just wait in the hope
for a good sunny day in a day in which the low tide coincides with my available
time.
I wish I could work on harder rocks put for now, I can only deal with the
easily manageable chalk chunks that fell from the cliff.
To be continued...
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unrecognised fossils |
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